Pages

Friday, June 28, 2013

I'm needing some encouragement!! That's pretty much all I can say. I'm honest in that I've been pretty bad in eating my Shaklee this month, and still not too much weight change. So, any thought and encouragement you can send my way, please do!

This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own.

People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Monday, June 24, 2013

Today I want to talk about stress, specifically in terms of stress inhibiting weight loss. I'm 99% sure that stress is a huge factor that is keeping me from losing weight with the Shaklee program.

When most people think about stress and weight gain, they think overeating, junk food eating, emotional eating, etc. On the contrary, I am the complete opposite. I'm not a stress eater or emotional eater. In fact, during the hardest emotional times of my life, I have actually lost weight rather than gained.

So it has taken me quite a bit to figure out that stress is a major culprit in not losing weight. For one, I had to acknowledge that I am stressed. I didn't really want to admit it because somehow I felt weak, or not good enough, but in reality I'm strong in admitting I can't do it all. A wife, a mom to three young girls, trying to homeschool 2 of those girls, chickens, a dog, 2 cats, my photography business, my house, the laundry, and a whole slew of other stuff.

Is it any wonder I am stressed?

So I guess my question to all of you is if any of you have suffered from stress? If so, what did you do to help it?

I've found something that has really helped me that I'll share with you in my next Shaklee Vlog post, but in the meantime, I'd love to hear if you have any special regimens, supplements, exercises, that specifically have helped you with your stress level.

This is a sponsored post as part of the Shaklee Corporation blogger program. I have received free products, online support and incentives for participating. My opinions are my own.

People following the weight-loss portion of the Shaklee 180™ Program can expect to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

"I used Grammarly to grammar check this post, because with three little girls, I don't have the time or energy to do it on my own! :)

It recently occurred to me that I never shared about ending our school year homeschooling! Maybe that is because summer has been slow to come here and we kind of keep working on school here and there on a rainy day.

Also, can I just say that I feel super old realizing that my oldest baby just finished kindergarten and will now be going on to first grade?

I've blogged before about my love for Heart of Dakota Publishing, and after using it for the second year in a row, I can confidently say that I love it! We actually didn't get through the whole guide for Zoelle, but she is still advanced in reading and math, and so I figure we can try and get caught up before next year by taking advantage of rainy days.

Right now it was time for a break. Both Zoelle and I needed it.

I needed a break in teaching her or reminding her to do certain things, and she needed a break from my nagging. Besides, where we live, summer is so short we do everything we can to take advantage of it as we have months indoors come winter.

We have not solidified our plans for next year. You would think that with such a successful year homeschooling her this year, I would automatically do the same next year. However, Chris & I promised each other that we would always pray about each girl and if homeschooling was right for them or even that year, and so that is what we will do.

So this summer, we are going to focus on swimming, soaking up the sun, camping, hiking, playing outdoors, and just enjoying summer. All the while maybe getting in a little handwriting, math, and of course, reading here and there.

How do you decide what education your child receives? Do you homeschool? Public school? Private school? Disclaimer: I received a small gift card from Grammarly in exchange for mentioning them in this post. All opinions are still my own.

Monday, June 17, 2013

One of our favorite breakfasts to have in the morning are smoothies. We typically make our own using Kefir, Chia Seeds, fruit, and I'm slowly working on introducing kale or other green veggies to our smoothies. However, on the mornings when we have to go somewhere, it is nice to have an option that is quick and that I can grab to go.

Sambazon is just that option. Sambazon juices and smoothies are made with the finest organic Amazon Superfoods on the planet such as Acai, Acerola, and Yerba Mate. Their juices and smoothies are available in ten different delicious flavor varieties, and packed with antioxidants and healthy omega 3-6-9s. All Sambazon Superfood juices are Non-Gmo, USDA organic, vegan, and gluten free, which are all things that are very important to us.

I was sent a few coupons to try Sambazon from #momsmeet. I was also sent an adorable wooden bowl and spoon set. At our local grocery store, I could only find two of the flavors so I tried Supergreens with Kale & Ginger, and Protein with Acai Berry & Vanilla.

I love, love, love the Supergreens one! I've been trying to drink more green smoothies and on the mornings I don't have time to make my own, this is a great option. There is no doubt in my mind that I will buy this again.

The Protein smoothie was incredibly filling, smooth, and sweet. I liked it, but my girls loved it. They said it tasted like chocolate (I think that is the vanilla they are tasting)! I would buy it again, but I'm not a huge fan of soy, even if it is organic/non-gmo, so it would probably be pretty rare for me.

Overall, I was very impressed with Sambazon and I'm looking forward to trying their products again!

Want to win some of your own? Be sure to enter in the Rafflecopter below. In the mean time, to find out more about Sambazon and the ingredients, be sure to follow Sambazon on Facebook or Twitter!

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms Meet program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms Meet blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Those were the exact words I shrieked into the phone earlier this week. Chris was on the other side of the phone asking me, who and how much, but all I could do was cry.

My baby cut her hair. Her precious blonde ringlets. Cut.

I had left the girls at the table doing "preschool" together while I checked on our dog and chickens. When I came back in the house, there was Xiomara who held up a puff of the hair in her hands and exclaimed to me, "Look, I have Ridian's hair".

This is the only hair I could find, but she cut off more than this.

After I hung up on Chris, I tried talking to Meridian but she ran off crying to her room and I couldn't get her to come out so I could see how much she cut. Finally, she came out and showed me. She gave herself little bangs on one side of her head. I am beyond grateful that no more was cut from her head. We had a nice chat about how only the hairdresser cuts her hair, and that was that.

For the most part, I can hide the cut part behind her other curls, but if I pull it back, it shows. Of all my girls, she is the first one to do this and I have to say, I'm not surprised. Zoelle is a rule follower to a "T". Meridian is very much so our middle child, and pretty free spirited. She does a lot on her own and gets into trouble without meaning to get into trouble. She has been this way since she was a baby, and I figure it's how she will always be and I can choose to rejoice in her personality.

The cut hair!! :(

It does have me wondering, is cutting ones hair a right of passage for a child, or are there some kids who just never do it? I seem to find a lot of my friends over the years talk about how their child once got into the scissors and cut their hair, or their siblings' hair.

So, has your child cut his/her hair? Or a siblings' hair? I'd love to hear about your reaction and theirs in the comments!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

About Me

Hi! I'm Vanessa! Wife to handsome hubby Chris. Mom to three little girls whom I adore. I'm passionate about life, adoption, photography, missions, music, singing, and reading.
Often described as effervescent, I march to the beat of my own drum and I'm ok with that.
Come follow along with me through the laughter and tears of learning how to parent three girls, how to deal with the challenges of adoption, and the interesting stories that life may bring our way.